Clearer skies ahead after winds rip through Victoria

Melbourne's trains were running back on schedule as the rain clouds cleared on Tuesday evening, following a morning of weather-related chaos.

A tree pulled down overhead train powerlines on the Craigieburn line at 2.30am, while power lines near Westona station were also damaged hours later, this time from a lightning strike.

Both lines were up running again by 2.30pm, after repairs including works to fix a widespread signal failure caused by the Westona station lightning strike.

"The western front had their fair share of disruption today," Metro spokeswoman Larisa Tait said.

"But we're all good now for the evening peak."

Clearer skies are also ahead on the weather front, according to Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Peter Blake.

About 9.4 millimetres of rain fell in Melbourne on Tuesday morning and afternoon.

Mr Blake said only another millimetre was expected over the next 24 hours.

The strong wind gusts of up to 83km/h that brought down trees across Melbourne overnight have also eased.

Overnight, wind gauges across the city on Monday night showed Fawkner Beacon in Port Phillip Bay recorded the highest wind gust, but it was also strong in Laverton (78km/h), Point Wilson (76km/h) and at St Kilda and South Channel Island (72km/h).

The highest winds in the state were recorded at Wilson's Promontory campsites, where gusts reached 95km/h.

A State Emergency Services spokeswoman said there were about 20 calls for help, mostly for fallen trees.

Ben Domensino, senior meteorologist with the Fairfax-owned Weatherzone, said the rain dump between 8am and 9am made it the wettest return to work after Easter since at least 1975.

Mr Domensino said the rain coincided with northerly wind gusts of 54 kilometres at 9am.

He said the morning rain brought the April rainfall total so far to 52 millimetres, just short of the long-term average.

"If the city gains another 5.8 millimetres by the end of the month, this will be the first time Melbourne has received the average rainfall during a calendar month since September," Mr Domensino said.

He said if the city failed to reach a monthly average of 57.3 millimetres by the end of the coming weekend, weather statisticians would need to wait ‘‘nervously’’ to see if the next rain-bearing system arrived before 9am on April 30.

"Early indications based on computer model guidance are that it may come right down to the line," he said.